Last Thursday I did a list of actors who had miraculously increased their sexy as they got older. A thing which societal beauty standards tells us shouldn’t happen. And in the comments, you rightly demanded a similar list for actresses. Poppets, did you really think I’d let you down?

Of course the fact that you named all of the women I’d had on my primary list really salted my game. You guys mentioned Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Connelly, Kate Winslet, Julia Louis- Dreyfus, Amy Adams, Gillian Anderson, Amy Poehler, Helen Mirren, Judy Davis, Marisa Romei, Monica Bellucci, Susan Sarandon, Joan Allen and Diane Lane. Which leaves basically no one. I mean, I’m not saying there aren’t other actresses over 40 who have become more attractive as they’ve gotten older, I just wanted you to know how hard this was.

Jeri Ryan
Same rules as for the men apply. Jeri Ryan was clearly always attractive, but 25-year-old Ryan kind of seems like a lot of attractive, blonde women in the 80s showing up for the occasional episode of Who’s The Boss? or Matlock.

49-year-old Jeri though?
If her agent was as good as her face, we’d be watching her on her own show instead of the occasional episode of NCIS or Arrow. Don’t let the bastards grind you down, Jeri.

Aisha Tyler
Sigh. Why did so many really attractive women think that haircut was an OK thing to do in 2000? And more to the point, why did we ever think that “being blanded out of existence with Photoshop/ make up” is a good thing?

Hell yes, that’s more like it. Lana would be proud.

Isla Fisher
Nope, that’s not already mentioned Amy Adams, but her Hollywood doppelganger Isla Fisher. Is she already very pretty at 21?
Clearly. But add 18 years and a mouth like a sailor?
Turns out there’s a great reason Borat was always talking about his wife.

Lucy Liu
This one feels a little like cheating. Because while I will contend the Lucy Liu has gotten slightly better looking with age, I’m not sure if I’m entirely able to tell what age she is in various pictures. Not like “Is she 40 here or 43?” But more “Why is she wearing that terrible choker in 2010? Oh wait, that’s from 1997?”
And here she is with fellow immortal on ER back in 1995.
Which looks exactly the same as present day Lui.
What is anyone even talking about?
I’m not saying Liu is actually a sorceresses, I’m just saying maybe don’t piss her off because

Mary Steenburgen
While all of the ladies on this list have become increasing attractive with age (or at the very least frozen time to an astonishing degree), we’ve got to take special notice of one kind of getting better with age. Your Helen Mirrens, your Allison Janneys, you Mary Steenburgens. Women who not only continued getting better looking, but totally switched their sexy up. Because while Mary Steenburgen was always very pretty in maybe a cute way like at 25:

Or at 29:

She’s now just hot.

Super hot.

I’ve-Been-Trying-To-Get-That-Hair-For-Years Hot.

I-Totally-Believe-You-Two-As-A-Romantic-Couple-And-Not-Mother-And-Son Hot
Way to work it, Mary. Ted is a lucky dude.